1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to barometers and specifically to a method and apparatus for correcting a sensed barometric pressure for errors caused by wind velocity and direction.
2. Prior Art
In the past, solutions to account for the recognized errors caused by wind velocity and direction in the barometric pressure sensed in an enclosure with ports open to the atmosphere have been less than satisfactory. Principally these solutions have revolved around providing mechanical baffles to dissipate the kinetic energy of the wind, leaving only the static or barometric pressure to be sensed in the enclosure. Such a device is described in the paper entitled "Design and Testing of Barometer Inlets to Eliminate Wind Velocity Error in NOAA Data Buoy Installations" by Ronald T. Miles, John F. Holmes and Joseph H. Greer and presented at the Instrument Society of America Conference at Niagara Falls, New York on Oct. 16-20, 1977.
The method of an apparatus made according to the present invention utilizes a definable relationship between the wind velocity and direction and the physical characteristics of the enclosure and the ports therein to provide a factor that is applied to the pressure that is measured in the enclosure to obtain an accurate static or barometric pressure. Thus the present invention eliminates the need for a baffle system to account for the effects of the kinetic energy of the wind.